Understanding what omnichannel retailing means right now and how this translates to your store (both physical and online) was a focus for the first ever Vend Breakfast Workshop, held in Auckland.

Cate Bryant, Head of Ecommerce NZ joined by Jay Goodey, Founder & Director of Onceit.co.nz and Andrew Howson, Owner and Head of Operations for Sitka were the speakers to highlight key areas of omnichannel retailing.

It’s always hard to cover-off enough content before 9am but over a decent cup of coffee, those who attended were given bite-sized chunks of information from the expert and two retailers who continue to work hard at creating a more seamless omnichannel experience.

We’ve summarised a few key takeaways from our speakers.

According to Cate Bryant, to be a better retailer and achieve #retailsuccess it isn’t about reinventing the wheel but learning from others. There’s plenty of technology out there that fuels efficiency and better management of stock. An example of who is doing this well is Nadia Shouraboura who observed some key issues in brick & mortar retail ranging from ease of locating an item, stock management and sourcing it in the stockroom. Watch the Hointer Shopping Experience to see how technology resolved this issue.

For Jay Goodey, “People want convenience and they want it yesterday.” The biggest opportunity lies in meeting customer demand. Take guidance from Nordstorm and Shoes of Prey who use 3D-printers for manufacturing on-demand, saving on bulk costs and lowering turnaround times.

Andrew Howson, summarised the importance of consistency across all touchpoints (online, in-store, through social and inventory.). For Sitka the biggest challenge with omnichannel was understanding what it means to customers and how to integrate it into their stores. They now have smaller retail spaces with touchscreen technology that’s linked to supplier inventory. It’s reduced rent, increased number of product lines carried and offers customers greater choice.

Quoted by Cate Bryant, Director of Ecommerce New Zealand, “We thought we were at the tipping point of ecommerce 8-years ago, but we’re still there. Ecommerce is a journey that never ends.”

The key to longterm success in a ecommerce driven retail world – is loyalty and repeat. To move away from flashy front end fluffy technology to look attractive, but what will make someone stay with you long-term is being strong and fit and healthy.

Australia’s online retailer, The Iconic is also an example we can learn from. The Iconic rely on NPS scoring to better understand customer satisfaction.

To hear more from Cate Bryant, download her full presentation by simply completing your details below.

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The Vend Breakfast Workshop series are free bi-monthly events for retailers to hear from industry thought-leaders in a intimate setting. Topics are relevant to what’s current and the format encourages open discussion between speakers and attendees.

Cath is Vend's Events and Sponsorship manager, and also our resident adventurer. Before joining Vend, Cath lived a sea worthy life on Super Yachts traveling the world and avoiding sea sickness. After retiring from the high seas she went back into the advertising game. She's a passionate party planner, surfer and loves to give plenty of banter. You can connect with Cath on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Google +.